Monday, November 28, 2005
Douse the Drumbeat
I've lost track of CWN retractions, but I still pop in to Dom's on occasion for a chuckle. I like the rejection of CCC 2478 for the sake of the latest gossip on "infamous" (Isn't there another adjective that means "Somebody I don't like"?) Boston priests.
Cuenin and Bowers were in Rochester visiting a schismatic group, apparently being encouraged to set up their own schismatic pseudo-Catholic church in Boston.
The ultra-trads are trying to recruit disaffected Catholics all the time. I'm not surprised my old Rochester friends were crowing about the good life on the edge of Catholicism with no bishops involved. Whether that's a productive or fruitful kind of ecclesial life--that's another story.
What other reason could they have for visiting a schismatic, heretical group?
They could've been invited. The pope does invite non-Roman Catholics, and prelates have been known to visit Protestants and Jews on occasion.
Are they working on reconciliation with the Church? Doesn’t sound like it.
First, I don't think it would be a natural place for clergy of one diocese to work on reconciliation with a parish from another. The task of reconciling Spiritus Christi is the responsibility of the pastors of the parish and their bishop. And second, I hardly think Dom and the bulk of his commentariat are truly concerned with the reconciliation of liberal groups. SCGS and all that.
This is what happens when you don’t publicly denounce the heretics in your midst, especially among your priests: You set yourself up for scandal and schism that could take down unwary and unwitting lay Catholics with the perpetrators.
Sigh. It's this kind of gossipy stuff that passes for internet journalism that yanks the humor right out of Dom's hyperbole. You need more to declare heresy that just a vague conservative feeling of "I don't like what they're doing." I think lay people in both Rochester and Boston are wise enough to know what they're getting into if they were to show up at a parish with women clergy. They also know that scandal has already infected and brought down the last archbishop of Boston. Poll any brand of "faithful" Catholic you want and ask them to tell you what's the more grave sin: harboring sex predators in the clergy and lying about it or a breakaway parish ordaining a woman.
Sheesh. You can disagree with both stands. But you don't need to muckrake "somebody I don't like" to make your point.
By the way, Fr Cuenin, if you're reading this, tell me: Did they take you to Nick Tahoe's?
